Table 2.
Expression profile of BAFF and APRIL system in solid cancers.
| Solid Cancers | Expression Profile and Clinical Relevancy |
|---|---|
| Breast cancer | BAFF is ubiquitously expressed in malignant and non-malignant tissue, whereas APRIL expression is lower in malignant tissues than in non-malignant tissues [29]. Other studies reported overexpression of APRIL protein and mRNA in tissue lesions [180,181]. None of the receptors can be identified immunohistochemically, yet the mRNAs of the receptors are detectable, most likely related to tumor-infiltrating immune cells [29,182]. |
| Colorectal cancers | Higher levels of APRIL mRNA have been reported [2]. Colorectal cancer cell lines express higher levels of HSPG, with only marginal expression of BCMA and TACI observed [183]. |
| Glioma | Higher levels of APRIL, BCMA, and TACI expression and lower BAFF protein levels in glioma [184]. BAFF, APRIL, and their receptors are expressed by the majority of glioblastoma (a type of glioma) cell lines [185]. |
| HCC | APRIL and BCMA levels are higher, whereas BAFF and BAFF-R expressions are unchanged in HCC [186]. HCC does not express TACI. |
| Lung cancer | The non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines express BAFF and APRIL and the receptors BAFF-R and TACI, but do not express BCMA [187]. |
| Neuroendocrine tumors | Higher BAFF expression is associated with disease severity and refractory disease [188,189]. |
| Oral squamous cell carcinoma | Overexpression of BAFF and APRIL [190,191]. |
| Pancreatic cancer | Serum BAFF concentration is significantly higher and associated with disease severity and metastasis [192]. |
| Renal carcinoma | BAFF, APRIL, and TACI are highly expressed in cancer biopsies, while the expression of BAFF-R and BCMA is very low to undetectable [193]. Higher levels of APRIL expression in biopsies are associated with disease severity and negatively correlated with disease-free survival. |
| Skin cancer | Higher expression of BAFF, APRIL, and BCMA in skin cancers, specifically in uveal melanoma, has been reported [194,195]. High BAFF expression is a predictor of metastasis. |
| Thyroid carcinoma | Higher APRIL mRNA expression is found in thyroid carcinoma [2]. |
| Others | Serum concentrations of BAFF in nephroblastoma (Wilms’ tumor), Ewing sarcoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma were higher than in healthy controls and the childhood non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma subgroup [196]. |
Abbreviations: HCC = hepatocellular carcinoma.